Chapter 406 Disaster in Southern Yunnan
Sun Muzhi and Xiao Baozhu lived a sweet and shameless life as they wished.
When the two of them visited Prince Jin's mansion, their eyes were so sweet.
Lu Zhiran was happy to see the two of them achieve their goal and was genuinely happy for them.
Some people were a little unhappy.
Xiao Yanci was still naked now, but when he saw Sun Muzhi's smug look, he knew that he had gotten the upper hand, which completely broke his defense.
Sun Muzhi has changed now and become smooth-talking.
In front of his elder brother-in-law, he had no taboos at all and even showed his affection secretly. Xiao Yanci simply couldn't bear to watch it.
Such peaceful and sweet days did not last long. In August, urgent news came from southern Yunnan, saying that southern Yunnan had suffered a mountain flood disaster that occurred once in ten years. The soldiers previously sent by the court to the Lanxia Valley basin to mine gold sand also encountered mountain floods and suffered heavy casualties.
At this time, the Kingdom of Nanyue was ready to make a move, gathering troops and horses, intending to take advantage of the situation and attack southern Yunnan.
The Southern Yunnan Prefecture was in an unprecedented predicament and urgently needed support from the imperial court.
When Emperor Defeng received the news, he immediately summoned officials to discuss the matter. They included how many reinforcements to send and who would lead them. These were all things that needed to be discussed.
Before everyone could come to a conclusion, urgent reports came in one after another.
All parts of Jiangnan were hit by heavy rains, and many people were affected and urgently needed support from the court.
Bad news came one after another, Emperor Defeng felt dizzy and fainted.
Now, the already chaotic situation became even more chaotic.
Everyone hurried to ask for the imperial physician, who diagnosed the emperor and said that Emperor Defeng had lost his breath due to anger.
After acupuncture, Emperor Defeng finally woke up.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
If something happened to Emperor Defeng at this time, it would be adding insult to injury.
Emperor Defeng, despite his illness, resumed the meeting.
Xiao Yanci volunteered to lead troops to southern Yunnan for support, and Emperor Defeng agreed.
To deal with the disaster in Jiangnan, Emperor Defeng sent the Minister of Works and the Doctor of Revenue to the area.
The Assistant Minister of Works was familiar with water conservancy projects and could direct on-site efforts to block breaches and repair dams, while the Doctor of the Ministry of Revenue was responsible for allocating money and grain and resettling disaster victims.
Sun Muzhi was also sent with 5,000 men to be responsible for material transportation, emergency repairs, and prevention of riots.
After everything was arranged, Emperor Defeng lay down feeling weak all over. Feng Youcai's face became even uglier.
"Your Majesty, it is important that you take care of your health."
Emperor Defeng's voice was hoarse. "I am old and have to accept my age, but don't worry, I am not going to die yet."
Feng Youcai knelt down hurriedly and said, "Long live the emperor! You must never say such things again."
Emperor Defeng closed his eyes for a long moment before he slowly spoke, "Once this disaster has subsided, it will be time for me to appoint a crown prince."
Feng Youcai was still kneeling on the ground, not saying a word, as if he had not heard what Emperor Defeng said.
This disaster is a test for His Royal Highness Prince Jin and for southern Yunnan as well.
Whether he can pass the test depends on his performance.
When Lu Zhiran heard the news, she was very anxious, but Xiao Yanci was about to go out, so she had no time to worry. She immediately ordered people to arrange the things needed for the trip.
When Xiao Yanci came back, it was already dark.
Lu Zhiran didn't ask any more questions, just asked him to go wash up first and then eat.
He had been busy all day and only had time to eat now. He finished a bowl of rice.
Seeing him eating so voraciously, Lu Zhiran couldn't help but feel distressed.
At the moment, there are still people who can take care of these things for him, but once he sets off, he will probably only be able to eat some dry food to fill his stomach on the road.
When his stomach felt a little fuller, he slowed down his eating.
He made time to tell the story.
The disaster in southern Yunnan is severe, and the Kingdom of Nanyue is eyeing it covetously. The situation is critical, and he must rush to southern Yunnan as quickly as possible.
"Today I am urgently mobilizing my troops. All necessary provisions, weapons, and supplies are ready. We will set out early tomorrow morning."
Time is life, and he cannot waste a moment.
Lu Zhiran also understood this, so she turned around and explained, "I've already prepared your luggage. In addition to a change of clothes, there's also a set of soft armor. I had it made a while ago, but I haven't had time to let you try it out yet. Now's the perfect time to use it. Wear it when you leave tomorrow."
"There are many common medicines in this bundle. I asked the company to prepare a portion for each of your 20,000 men. There are many poisonous insects, snakes and ants in southern Yunnan, so these should be useful."
"Also, I will immediately send a letter to the trading company and my grandparents, asking them to dispatch food and supplies. Just take care of yourself. I'll cover the supplies."
Lu Zhiran explained everything one by one in a calm and orderly tone.
As Xiao Yanci listened, a strange feeling appeared in his eyes.
He reached out and took her into his arms.
"Zhiran, thank you so much."
Lu Zhiran also hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I ask for nothing more than your safe return."
Xiao Yanci nodded vigorously.
"As for my mother, I didn't have time to say goodbye to her. Please come to the palace more often to accompany her."
"I know. Mother and I are waiting for you."
The couple chatted for a while until someone knocked on the door.
It was He Yun's voice, "Your Highness, there are visitors."
If it were an ordinary visitor, He Yun would not disturb him.
Lu Zhiran composed herself and said, "Your Highness, please go."
Xiao Yanci stood up and left.
He was surprised to see the visitor.
It is Guqishan.
His figure is still the same as before, tall and straight, like a towering mountain.
Although he had been trapped in the capital for more than half a year, he did not show any sign of decadence, and his eyes were as sharp as before.
Ever since he learned about his past with his mother when they were young, Xiao Yanci has not looked for him for some time.
They shouldn't have too much contact.
Gu Qishan was also very low-key, like an invisible man. He had been staying in his mansion under the pretext of recuperating from his injuries and had no contact with anyone in the court.
Gu Qishan bowed and said, "Your Highness, I am sorry for disturbing you so late at night. I hope you will forgive me."
Xiao Yanci immediately helped him up, "General Gu, you are here regarding the disaster in southern Yunnan, right? Please sit down and talk."
Gu Qishan was not polite either. After sitting down, he stated his purpose directly.
"I've heard about the disaster in southern Yunnan and am deeply worried. My status prevents me from volunteering to the Emperor, but if I don't do something, I'll find it hard to let go."
Emperor Defeng suspected that he had an unclear relationship with Concubine Rou. If he volunteered at this time, he might touch the emperor's sensitive nerves and give someone with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of it.
Moreover, Emperor Defeng was wary of him and would not easily give him military power and let him make contributions.
Even if he volunteered, Emperor Defeng would definitely not agree.
Xiao Yanci also agreed with his judgment.
At this moment, it would be best for Gu Qishan to do nothing.
He took out a token from his pocket and placed it on the small table.
"Although I am trapped in the capital, even a broken ship still has three pounds of nails, so I am not completely helpless. I have an elite force under my command, a private soldier, numbering one thousand. I will hand them over to Your Highness, and they will secretly follow Your Highness to southern Yunnan. This token is a token of trust, and they will act under Your Highness's command."
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